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Holidays
As with any respectable world, Torar has its share of holidays. For the most part these holidays are, in fact, "holy days", which are celebrated in reverance to a particular deity. Each holiday and its associated deity can be found below, in the order they occur within the year. Februa Februa is the holy day of Barachiel and occurs Melethoc 14th. Februa is a festival of fertility, and symbolizing this girls of a participating community, up to 14 years old in human communities, dance and wrap colorful ribbons around a Lion's Pole. It is customary for those in a romantic relationship to spend extra time doting on each other on this day, including the gifting of sweets and bundles of the first flowers of the year. As a way of keeping children occupied during this romantic holiday, elders may hide painted rocks and chicken eggs throughout the community for the children to find. The eggs are boiled beforehand, and finding one is considering a lucky treat. Also known as the Festival of Lights, participants in Februa celebrations light a special candle at dusk to protect themselves from bad humours and mischevious fey spirits that might seek to replace a newly concieved child with a changeling. Beltane Beltane is the holy day of Veloria and occurs Dyoc 1st. Also known as the summer festival, in participating communities special holy earth is brought in to the center of the community upon which a bonfire fueled with specially treated wood is lit. All household fires are doused with water poured from holy containers and relit with fire or embers from the bonfire. Worshippers will often dance around the fire, or sometimes leap over it. Lammas Lammas is the hole day of Sangaia and occurs Mythoroc 1st. Lammas is also called the harvest festival, signalling the beginning of the season of harvesting. Tradition dictates that the first bushel of harvest be prepared inside a large effigy made of wicker or straw and burned atop the nearest hill. Afterward the ashes are collected and used to fertilize next year's fields and crops. This is also an occasion to feast, especially on pie, and many communities hold pie eating and pie making contests. All Souls All Souls is the holy day of Oros and occurs Rahmoc 31st - Sarnoc 1st. During All Souls' Eve (the 31st), people will dress in costume in order to disguise themselves from the escaped evil spirits that are loosed on the world to roam until sunrise. It is common practice to carve pumpkins or other gourds into horrific faces and set them near a dwelling's door to ward off those spirits. On All Souls' Day (the 1st) there is feasting of traditional dishes to celebrate the spirits being put to rest again. All Souls for Lamni All Souls is the holiest day of the lamni people, and they celebrate it a bit differently. It is a holy day for their Seven Gods, who are believed to be deceased, and is celebrated for one additional day after Sarnoc 1st. Altars are erected in every home where they leave offerings to the ancestral spirits of their family. People then visit the catacombs en masse to clean up the sarcophogi of their deceased and leave further offerings. After this pilgramage, much of the remainder of the holiday is spent with parades, feasts, and storytelling. People paint and dress themselves as skeletons and mummies to show reverance to death and the deceased. It is believed bestowing such honor upon the dead keeps their spirits lofty in the heavens and brings the favor and protection of the spirits back to the people. Yuletide Yuletide is the holy day of Meyne and occurs Garthoc 20th - 31st. Yuletide is a period of joy and charity. A tree, typically a fir or pine, is selected and brought into a celebrating household. The bottom, thickest part of the tree is cut off and placed into the home's fireplace. This is called the Yule Log, and it is believed that a devout and good household's Yule Log will burn throughout Yuletide, heating the home without needing any replacement or additional wood, regardless of the house's size. The remainder of the tree is stood in the home and decorated with baubles and colorful string. On Yuletide Day, Garthoc 31st, gifts are commonly exchanged. Some believe that a charitable mage known as Nicholas the Gift-Giver visits deserving families and leaves gifts under the Yule Tree for children who have been nice all year. Category:Lore